9 seriously underrated Nothing OS 2.5 features you need to try

Customisable double-tap power button gesture

Android phones typically don’t feature dedicated shortcut buttons, but on the Nothing Phone, you can customize the double tap power button gesture instead. By default, double-tapping the power button opens the camera. But you can assign it to launch any app, toggle the flashlight, enable do not disturb, mute your phone, or more. I have set it to mute because it’s the closest thing to having an Alert Slider on a non-OnePlus handset.

Music visualisation

This mesmerizing feature makes the Glyph interface pulse and dance along to your music – and it looks amazing in a dark room. To enable it: create a contact named “Alakazam,” assign a ringtone to it, then music visualization appears in Glyph settings.

The only downside to this feature (and I imagine it’s not enabled by default) is that it also lights up for videos, annoyingly even the ones you watch on Twitter. Fortunately, the Music visualization tile lets you toggle it quickly.

Food delivery and ride tracking

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Live Activities on iOS wowed me, so I was thrilled to see Nothing OS add food delivery and ride tracking. When you order food or hail a ride, glance at your phone’s back to monitor your order’s progress without unlocking it. It currently works with Zomato and Uber, though I hope Nothing gets more apps like Swiggy and Ola on board too.

Screen time and step count widgets

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If you’re guilty of smartphone overuse like me, then the all-new screen time widget will help you keep a track of your unhealthy usage habits. Simply find it from the widgets section and add it to your home screen to see your usage for the day right when you unlock your phone. Meanwhile, the step count widget approximates your daily steps – and it’s surprisingly accurate. Both widgets deliver key stats at a glance to improve your digital wellbeing.

Use Glyph as a torch

I was surprised when I found out that a friend of mine was unaware that the Glyph interface can be used as a torch as well right from the quick settings. So I decided this handy feature deserves a mention. Just long-press the flashlight tile to turn on Glyph-powered illumination. It’s perfect as a low-profile flashlight alternative when you don’t want blinding brightness.

Always-on display widgets

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Nothing’s always-on display remains pleasingly minimalistic and doesn’t offer the elaborate customisation its peers do, but there’s a way you can win control over it. You can add widgets to your always-on display via Settings > Lock screen > Lockscreen widgets. These include weather, world time, quick settings, and more. You can also swipe on the widgets to see more details or access more functions.

App cloning

If you’ve got more than one account for any app, like two different SIM cards with separate WhatsApp accounts, you’d be amazed at how handy cloned apps can be. You can create a duplicate version of an app to get two copies of it in your app drawer, and log into a different account in each one. You can access this feature via Settings > Apps > Cloned apps.

‘Atmosphere’ wallpaper effect

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Finally, Nothing OS 2.5 brings a new Atmosphere wallpaper effect as an alternative to the Glass effect. This one adds a frosted glass effect to any wallpaper which animates whenever you unlock your phone. It’s especially useful for when you’ve got that kind of wallpaper that messes with the legibility of icon labels.